The Central Intelligence Agency runs a small bureau that censors books and articles written by current and former CIA employees. As the only official censorship bureau in America, its operation provides insights on how attempts to muzzle conservative talk radio through a renewed Fairness Doctrine or FCC "localism" may work. It also provides reasons for optimism about the eventual outcome.

CIA censorship seems to make sense at first glance - shouldn't there be a bureau that ensures secrets are not revealed? But CIA censors routinely approve books that contain classified material - especially those critical of the Bush administration - so long as they are not critical of the CIA itself. Memoirs by former CIA Director George Tenet and other top bureaucrats contain startling amounts of classified information. The CIA must use secrecy to hide the identities of agents and operations, of course, but separate laws have always covered that. The CIA has taken its unique ability to void the First Amendment, awarded by a judge in the late 1970's, and used it for its own agenda.

Either information is secret or it isn't. If America's only censorship bureau cannot handle the simple task of determining whether something is classified or unclassified, then we should be wary of creating multiple FCC censorship bureaus to handle far more complex and subjective issues. How can Americans possibly rely on government bureaucrats to decide what is fair and balanced?

The Fairness Doctrine may seem to make sense at a superficial glance - shouldn't all viewpoints be heard, shouldn't the media be fair? But the purpose of a renewed Fairness Doctrine appears to be simply to attack conservative talk radio. The political left's free speech is not constrained by talk radio, because it dominates most other media.

Just as open criticism of the CIA is vital because it can lead to repair of the intelligence gaps that expose Americans to great risk, uncensored talk radio is vital for American freedom because it allows free speech to be heard.

The Founders understood the evil of censorship and knew that censors would never be a panel of wise graybeards issuing Solomonic decisions. CIA censors are ordinary humans who weigh decisions based upon what is in their own interest. They ask themselves, "What decision can I make that will please my boss? What decision will improve my job security, my chances for advancement in the organization?" Censors employed under the Fairness Doctrine would likewise make decisions Chicago-style, decisions meant to serve the people who created their jobs and control their promotions.

Fortunately, the Fairness Doctrine is so obviously unconstitutional in the eyes of most Americans, so blatantly an attempt to block free speech, that it should be easy to defeat. Respect for the First Amendment is broad in American society - American soldiers fight to defend it, schoolchildren understand its importance. Happy warriors like Rush and Sean are already taking on the Fairness Doctrine with full confidence.

Smart politicians on the left know this and it's unlikely that a Rahm Emanuel, for example, would recommend support for heavy-handed attempts to censor conservative radio via a renewed Fairness Doctrine.

More likely is that the left will use the subtle, silent, and creeping tool of government bureaucracy to strangle conservative talk radio. The enforcement of "localism" regulations, as described in a 17 November 2008 American Thinker article by Jim Boulet, would use a system of complaints to the FCC and community advisory boards to attack conservative radio. A few tweaks in FCC regulations can require radio stations to submit time-wasting and expensive reports, hold public meetings, and create panels of local residents, led by community organizers, to evaluate programming. If the bureaucrats and peoples' panels are not pleased with a radio station's compliance, they'll be able to take away the station's license. The goal would be to attack conservative radio in obscurity, without an open showdown.

The behavior of CIA censors may be helpful in predicting that of FCC bureaucrats. Moving with the speed of an old oak tree, CIA censors respond months later to queries, if at all. A book I wrote as a tool in intelligence reform took CIA censors a year to read, and after lots of evasive conversations suggesting they might approve it, in the end came back as a stack of blank pages. It contained no classified information, but was critical of the CIA. Books go from censor to censor, each of whom wields a black magic marker. Free speech entering one end of a censorship process, like hay through a horse, comes out unrecognizable at the other end.

New FCC offices may sprout up throughout the United States in response to new FCC localism or Fairness Doctrine authority. It will be fascinating to see if they come to resemble CIA domestic offices. A peculiarity of many CIA offices within the US is that they have television sets on, providing a busy, newsroom atmosphere. Since FCC offices would be monitoring media, it's possible they too may run radio and television sets in each room. Like the CIA, the FCC may argue that ever-greater amounts of money and employees are necessary to achieve its new mission, and as the money flows, and the number of employees grows, the FCC may become a constituent group of its own, with lobbying power, difficult to dislodge.

Censors are creative in inventing new reasons for delay. Although none of the CIA censors have actually served their country in a covert capacity, they injected spycraft into their communications by operating from anonymous post office boxes and phone numbers, and using false names, which added delay because of the infrequent checking of these P.O. boxes and answering machines.

Money can trump principles. CIA employees may choose not to speak out about fraud and corruption at the CIA simply because it is lucrative to co-exist within the CIA, whether as a contractor on $250,000 a year plus another contract for the spouse, or becoming rich through the CIA's contracting system. Radio stations must also look out for their own financial interests. Advocates of FCC localism will hope the cost of compliance with bureaucracy forces stations to take conservative talk radio off the air.

Conservative talk radio should not expect help from the legions of First Amendment Scholars in universities or the organizations which grandly claim, and seek donations, to fight for First Amendment rights. These people seem to favor the defense of the kind of free speech which doesn't require much bravery, speech such as profanity, or insulting Christianity or Judaism, speech that doesn't pose the risk of loss of property or imprisonment. Although the CIA runs the only official censorship bureau in America which can theoretically throw people in the slammer and confiscate property, I'm aware of no First Amendment Scholar who has written about it. These organizations may likewise find that conservative radio does not serve their agenda, and choose not to defend it.

But in spite of these gloomy predictions, the behavior of the CIA's censorship bureau suggests that the outcome for conservative talk radio is optimistic. The flaw in censors' strategy is that while they seek to stifle free speech, they are also reluctant to take steps that might draw more attention to it.

CIA censors have proven to be toothless when their bluff is called. They did not follow through on threats to prosecute because they fear prosecution would only bring more attention to the organization's corruption. Likewise, prosecution of conservative talk radio would only bring more attention to the views of conservative talk radio hosts. If censors decide to prosecute, they have to go to court, and censorship cannot win in open daylight, not in America.

The gatekeepers, the people who work as censors, didn't choose that line of work because they like to fight. They want to leave the office at five o'clock and get home. Go right at them and they'll fold.

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary to defy government, conservative talk radio is in an excellent position to fight back, raising the voices of free speech, bringing even more attention to the vitality of the American experiment, and defending American freedom.

Baltimore Ravens executive vice president/general manager Ozzie Newsome announced Wednesday that the team has promoted three longtime members of its personnel staff.

Eric DeCosta has been elevated to director of player personnel, Vincent Newsome has been promoted to director of pro personnel, and Joe Hortiz has been named director of college scouting.

“All of these men have been with the Baltimore Ravens for the bulk of our organization’s existence,” Newsome stated. “They have been involved in every facet of the acquisition of our players, and they understand our process. They are all looking forward to their new challenge, and the energy they bring to their positions will continue to make us better.”

DeCosta, 37, has served as Baltimore’s director of college scouting since 2003. He has spent all 13 years of his NFL career with the Ravens, joining the team in an entry-level position in 1996, the Ravens’ first season of existence. From 1998-2002, DeCosta worked as an area scout, evaluating a number of players who eventually became Ravens draft picks. Additionally, during that span, he spent time analyzing draft-day trades and helped evaluate free agent prospects for the pro personnel department.

Newsome, the team’s assistant director of pro personnel since 2003, succeeds former director of pro personnel George Kokinis, who was hired as the Cleveland Browns’ general manager earlier this week. Newsome, 48, started his personnel career in 1993 when he was hired by Cleveland as a special assignment scout to evaluate skill positions nationally. Upon the franchise’s move to Baltimore, he served as the Ravens’ West area scout from 1996-99 and was then promoted to western college supervisor in 2002.

While working closely with Kokinis the past several seasons, Newsome – a standout NFL safety for 10 years – handled advance scouting of the Ravens’ seasonal opponents, as well as conducting free agent workouts and evaluating college talent with DeCosta.

Hortiz, who has spent all 11 of his NFL seasons with the Ravens, began his scouting career as a personnel assistant from 1998-2000. After serving as the team’s collegiate Northeast area scout (2001-02) and Southeast area scout (2003-05), Hortiz, 33, was promoted to national scout in 2006. Though he evaluated players across the country, Hortiz’s primary focus was directed on the nation’s eastern half, where seven of 10 Ravens draft picks were selected in the 2008 NFL Draft.

The GOP heavily (almost exclusively) relies on conservatives for grassroots campaign workers and financial support. But the Republican Party has a long history of exploiting conservatives' efforts and misusing conservatives' financial contributions. In many ways, the situation is reminiscent of an abusive marriage. Is it time for conservatives to finally recognize the lies and abuse and move out of the house? Or is some sort of reconciliation still possible?

I will make my position clear from the outset. A divorce by conservatives from the GOP would be a disaster for all of the parties involved. Just like most marriages, the grass may look greener on the other side of the fence -- but it almost always isn't. This is true for the GOP and for conservatives.

The "big tent" speeches may be staple rhetoric of the GOP hierarchy; but, if conservatives pack up and leave, the GOP will be a big empty tent. (This mass migration would include the growing number of black and Hispanic conservatives in the GOP. These good hard working people are in the GOP because they understand and live by conservative principles -- not because they are part of some equal opportunity RNC scheme.)

Intelligent people do not choose a party affiliation because of the color of their skin. They choose it because it reflects their ideals. The GOP needs to understand, and it needs to understand this soon, that there is no Republican Party without conservatives -- and conservatives need to start acting on this fact.

Conservatives who decide to abandon the GOP will have a rough time finding a new political party to live with. The Libertarian Party is wedded to the "philosophy" of selfishness and Ayn Rand. The Constitution Party is barely a blip on the political radar.

If reconciliation between conservatives and the GOP is going to happen, conservatives must take firm control of the GOP. Here are some tough love suggestions for how this can be done:

(1) No more money. The first thing conservatives must do is stop giving any money to the GOP. All contributions must stop -- at least for the short term. We have all received letters from the RNC that ask for money to help fight "liberal tax and spend Democrats." Most of us have taken the bait and sent in contributions. Conservatives need to recognize these letters for what they are: a scam.

These letters never mention issues like the global warming hoax, or stopping illegal immigration, or the federal bailouts. They can't. The Republican Party has taken no fixed stand on these issues. In fact, the GOP's presidential candidate supported the liberal position on all of these issues. Conservatives must stop settling for half a loaf from the GOP. And we must insist that the Republican Party recognize that half a loaf is ... half a loaf.

Until the Republican Party takes a coherent and cohesive conservative stand on all of the major issues facing America, and only finances candidates who actively support those positions, GOP solicitation letters should be sent back sans contribution. I suggest inserting a polite little note that says something like this, "Contribution will be forthcoming as soon as you show me that the money is only supporting candidates who actually uphold the principles outlined in this solicitation."

In other words, no more conservative money goes to the RINOs. Not a penny. Unless the Republican Party gives us hard evidence that it is willing to reform and stop using conservative money to support "moderate" candidates, conservatives must stop funding the GOP. It is that simple.

If conservatives want real change real fast in the Republican Party, the best thing we can do is stop funding the GOP. Until the GOP earns our support, we should send all of our political contributions directly to the conservative candidates who have. (See point 5 below.)

(2) No more excuses. Conservatives must stop making excuses for the GOP and start demanding change. I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of defending the lightly veiled socialist policies of "compassionate conservatism."

In fact, I refuse to defend such policies any more. When a liberal argues with me that "Republicans supported the bailout too -- it was Bush's idea," my response is "I am not going to defend Bush. I am a conservative -- not a Republican." In short, and in my opinion, conservatives must stop defending the indefensible.

Here is another way to say this: Conservatives must stop looking back and start thinking forward. We must stop defending the GOP. Instead, we must demand change within the Republican Party. The glaring mistakes that the GOP has made in the last ten years are not the fault of conservatives. Let the past go, let go of Bush, and forget McCain. Conservatives need to think ahead and move forward -- and so does the GOP.

(3) No more manipulation. Republicans have manipulated conservatives for far too long with empty promises of governmental reform. John McCain received a standing ovation from the delegates at the RNC when he proclaimed the end of big government spending. In less than two months he suspended his campaign to fly back to Washington so that he could work and vote for the first bailout bill -- the largest single government expenditure in peacetime history.

Conservatives should no longer condone or support such palpable pretense and the GOP needs to stop shoveling it. To be brutally frank, if the GOP wants conservative support, then their Republican candidates must stop lying to us.

(4) New leadership now. The GOP must dump its current crop of congressional leaders. These men seem to be comfortable being in the minority. They know how to say "bi-partisan" and "compromise" -- but they have no clue about how to say the simplest of words: "No."

Listen to House Minority Leader John Boehner's take on his recent meeting with then President-elect Obama on the next trillion-dollar bailout. Listen to the words from his own website. Boehner wants "to craft a plan [trillion-dollar bailout -- the sequel] that can pass in a bipartisan fashion." This is a pre-announced capitulation. It is not leadership. Conservatives must demand that the house cleaning of the GOP begin with the Republican's congressional leadership.

(5) Finally, let's take this bull by the horns. Conservatives need to start running for office. I know. I know. This is a daunting idea. But stop and think about it for a moment. If Nancy Pelosi is fit to be the Speaker of the House, then at least 90% of the rest of America's citizens are qualified to run for some public office. (This includes 99.99% of America's conservative stay at home moms. Run ladies run!)

There are problems with this final proposal. Most conservatives are too busy working at the jobs that make the country run to quit their real jobs and run the country. Be that as it may, some of us must step up to the political plate and take our turn at bat. After all, conservatives believe in limited government and this includes, for some of us, a limited term of public service.[i]

Which conservatives should run? Mothers whose children have left the nest, retired, or soon to be retired, business owners or workers, young conservatives who have been successful in business and can afford to sacrifice a few years in public office to help get the ship of state back on course, etc.

Look into your heart. Are you the next Sarah Palin? Why not? Those conservatives that can afford to run for office need to run for office; those who cannot run need to actively support those who can. And we need to do it from within the GOP.

How do conservatives gain control of the GOP? The answer is simple: We take it.

Al Gore is scheduled before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday morning to once again testify on the 'urgent need' to combat global warming.

But Mother Nature seems ready to freeze the proceedings.

A 'Winter Storm Watch' has been posted for the nation's capitol and there is a potential for significant snow... sleet... or ice accumulations.

"I can't imagine the Democrats would want to showcase Mr. Gore and his new findings on global warming as a winter storm rages outside," a Republican lawmaker emailed the DRUDGE REPORT. "And if the ice really piles up, it will not be safe to travel."

A spokesman for Sen. John Kerry, who chairs the committee, was not immediately available to comment on contingency plans.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi boldly defended a move to add birth control funding to the new economic "stimulus" package, claiming "contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."

Pelosi, the mother of 5 children and 6 grandchildren, who once said, "Nothing in my life will ever, ever compare to being a mom," seemed to imply babies are somehow a burden on the treasury.

The revelation came during an exchange Sunday morning on ABC's THIS WEEK.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?

PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies for that?

PELOSI: No apologies. No. we have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.

There are two things going on here. One prong of the Great Unifier's plan is to isolate elected Republicans from their voters and supporters by making the argument about me and not about his plan. He is hoping that these Republicans will also publicly denounce me and thus marginalize me. And who knows? Are ideological and philosophical ties enough to keep the GOP loyal to their voters? Meanwhile, the effort to foist all blame for this mess on the private sector continues unabated when most of the blame for this current debacle can be laid at the feet of the Congress and a couple of former presidents. And there is a strategic reason for this.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

In his inauguration speech, President Obama said, "the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply." He even suggested that these arguments should be set aside as "childish things."

However today, Obama reportedly, listened to Republican criticism of his stimulus package during a meeting with congressional leaders Friday morning, acknowledged that there are philosophical differences between the parties, and then reminded the assembled Republicans, "I won."

It's tempting to suggest that, by invoking his victory to trump substantive criticism of his position on the stimulus package, Obama was being childish. In my view, though, Obama was childish on Tuesday and mature today. On inauguration day, he arrogantly dismissed the important philosophical differences that have long divided liberals and conservative as inapplicable. Today, he acknowledged the reality of one of these core differences -- how the government should spend money -- and noted, correctly, that elections have consequences.

But passing bad legislation also has consequences, not just for the country but also for the party responsibile for the legislation. To the extent that Obama blows off their concerns, Republicans must make sure that they have no responsibility for the stimulus legislation.

The politics here are not difficult to calculate. If the stimulus package is seen as a success, the Democrats will be the winners regardless of whether the Republicans "buy in." If the package is seen as a failure, the Democrats will be the losers regardless of the position Republicans took.

But if the package is seen as a corrupt failure -- one loaded up with gifts for special interests that had little or no connection with promoting economic recovery -- then it will generate fury at anyone who supported it.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Rev. Joseph Lowery: 'Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen. Say Amen'...

Saturday, January 17, 2009

A day after abruptly firing head coach Jon Gruden and G.M. Bruce Allen, Tampa Bay has introduced Raheem Morris as their new coach and Mark Domenik as general manager. The 32-year-old Morris, who had been the Buccaneers defensive co-ordinator, has no previous head coaching experience; in fcat, he had just been promoted from secondary coach to the DC job after Monte Kiffin bolted the Buccaneers to join son Lane at the University of Tennessee. Meanwhile, Dominik has been with the team since 1995, the last 8 years as director of pro personnel. Meanwhile, St. Louis has reportedly signed Steve Spagnuolo as the Rams head coach. Spagnuolo had been the New York Giants defensive coordinator the past couple of years.

If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger were to fire every employee in state government tomorrow, it would easily patch California's enormous deficit, right? Not even close.

But surely shutting down all state prisons would do the trick? That, too, would only get him about a quarter of the way there.

Now what if he were to close every prison and cut off funding for health care and other services for the poor? Now we're in the ballpark.

Schwarzenegger on Thursday to delivered his annual state of the state address, and there was only one topic on his mind: A budget deficit that's ballooned to $40 billion through mid-2010.

How does the average taxpayer begin to make sense of that sum? Not easily.

"It's like a number that's out there, but it's so big that it almost becomes meaningless," said Adrienne Gates, a 50-year-old San Jose resident who keeps fairly close tabs on news out of Sacramento. "It's like hearing stories about how fast the universe is expanding."

Even state lawmakers seem only now to be coming to grips with the enormity of their problem, after months of finger-pointing. No matter how big the shortfall got over the past year, Democrats and Republicans hewed to their long-held opposition to deep program cuts or tax hikes.

It's been only this month, with the state literally on the verge of not being able to pay many of its bills, that signs have emerged that both sides realize they're going to have to make major concessions.

"There isn't a real will to hunker down until you have to," said Barbara O'Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and Media at Sacramento State University. "But it's reached the point where they don't have a choice. Polemics don't work."

Still, even a governor and Legislature in perfect ideological harmony would struggle to close a deficit this big. Consider that $40 billion is the amount the state shells out of its general fund each year for the public school system.

Payroll for California's roughly 230,000 civil servants tallies a mere $18 billion — not including legislative aides or people who work for the state's courts or university systems. (Those 149,000 additional folks aren't under the governor's control, but even if Schwarzenegger could fire them, their salaries wouldn't be enough to patch the $40 billion deficit.)

California's shortfall is larger than the entire yearly budget of every other state except New York. It exceeds the gross domestic product of more than 100 countries, including Syria, Costa Rica and Kenya.Closer to home, it's 40 times the size of San Jose's general operating fund, which pays for most of the city's basic services. And it's a devilish 666 times the size of San Jose's projected deficit of more than $60 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

In non-government terms, $40 billion would buy about 78,000 houses in Santa Clara County at the Nov. 2008 median price of $515,000. That's almost half of all of San Jose's single family homes.

It's also $3 billion more than the combined net worth of Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, according to Forbes. And $40 billion could purchase more than 500 Boeing 737-800s.

Of course, the governor and lawmakers aren't talking about buying airplanes. They're weighing cuts to programs that educate kids and help the needy and tax hikes at a time families are stretching to make ends meet.

"Because of the recession and the slide in the stock market, the deficit has grown has grown so big, so quickly," said H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for Schwarzenegger's finance department. "And it's forced a menu of very difficult decisions to be put on the table." Socialism is such a great thing.....

The leadership in Illinois ? All Democrats.Thank you for the combat zone in Chicago .Body count in the last six months: 292 killed (murdered) in Chicago 221 killed in IraqState pension fund - $44 Billion in debt, worst in the country. Cook County ( Chicago ) sales tax - 10.25% highest in country. (Look it up). Chicago school system - rated one of the worst in the country.

Of course, they're all blaming each other. They can't blame Republicans because there aren't any.This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois . And he's going to '"fix" Washington politics for us?

Tampa Bay has fired head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen. The Buccaneers won the 2002 Super Bowl under Gruden after trading several draft picks to Oakland for the right to sign him, however, Tampa Bay has failed to win a playoff game since including this year when they won nine of their first twelve games to start the season, but lost their final four games of the year, in the process becoming the first team in NFL history to miss the playoffs after starting out 9-3.

Friday, January 16, 2009

The deadline for underclassmen to apply to the NFL for inclusion in the 2009 draft came and went at midnight last night. Unofficially, 49 juniors and sophomores have indicated they had applied for early entry to the draft, although it is possible that others actually applied but made no formal announcement. The NFL will publish a full list of draft eligible underclassmen within the next few days.Meanwhile, those underclassmen who did apply for the draft have a 72-hour window of opportunity to withdraw their applications starting at midnight tonight as long as they have not signed with an agent.

Georgia junior CB Asher Allen announced Tuesday afternoon that he will forego his final year of college eligibility and turn pro. Allen’s decision follows last week’s announcements by junior QB Matthew Stafford and sophomore RB Knowshon Moreno that they’ll leave school early for the NFL, although Allen isn‘t expected to go as earlier in this year‘s draft as his two more heralded teammates....

Penn State sophomore All-American DE Aaron Maybin has confirmed he will skip his final two seasons at Penn State and declare for the 2009 draft. The 6-4, 245-pound Maybin led the Big Ten with 12 sacks this past season and is projected as a late first or early secnd round pick this year although he could go higher to a 3-4 looking for a potentially dynamic rush OLB....

Boise State junior WR Jeremy Childs will enter the 2009 draft. The 5-11, 195 Childs was a first-team all-Conference selection for the second consecutive season after catching 72 passes for just over 800 yards....

Texas Tech sophomore WR Michael Crabtree has formally announced that he will be entering the 2009 draft where he is expected to be the first wideout off the board and a potential top 5 selection. In somewhat of a surprise, though, Southern California junior safty Taylor Mays has decided to return to school for his senior season. The 6-2, 225-pound Mays, who reportedly still runs under 4.4 for the 40, had the potential to be a top 10 pick this coming April if he had opted to turn pro this month....

Scott Pioli, who has spent nine years helping create the football power in New England, will be the Chiefs’ new general manager. A news conference will be held at 6 PM ET later this afternoon at which Pioli wil be formally introduced as the struggling Chiefs‘ new GM. Pioli will reportedly have the final say over all football operations and will report directly to Chiefs’ chairman Clark Hunt. Pioli has been with New England since 2000 as vice president for player personnel and along with head coach Bill Belichek has been credited with building the team that won three Super Bowls in four years between 2002 and 2005 and came within one win of a perfect season in 2007. Pioli, though, will have his work cut out for him in Kansas City which won just 6 games over the past couple of years including a 2-14 record this season. Meanwhile, no decision has been made yet on whether Herm Edwards will remain Chiefs coach, although it appears unlikely Pioli will retain him.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Florida State junior SS Myron Rolle will not inter the 2009 draft in order to study at Oxford next year. Rolle won a Rhodes scholarship in November and plans to seek a one-year master's degree in medical anthropology. Rolle reportedly still plans to enter the 2010 draft....

Jacksonville has promoted Gene Smith to General Manager and Senior V. P. of player personnel in one of several moves within the team’s player personnel department. In other promotions Terry McDonough was named Director of Player Personnel, while Tim Mingey was named Assistant Director of College Personnel and Andy Dengler was named National Scout. At the same time, Jacksonville released assistant director of pro personnel Larry Wright and executive scout Art Perkins.

Utah sophomore DE Paul Kruger has decided to forgo his final two years of college eligibility and enter the 2009 Draft. Kruger, who has already left the team to work out in Florida, made his decision official Sunday evening after receiving an evaluation from the NFL Advisory Committee. The Kruger 6-4, 265-pound Kruger, who did a 2-year mission and will turn 23 next month, had 8.5 sacks for the undefeated Utes this past fall.

Ohio State tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells is giving up his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft. Wells, one of seven Ohio State juniors who were considering making the early jump, issued a statement Thursday saying the move is in the best interest of his family. Wells fought injuries much of his career at Ohio State. He was considered a Heisman Trophy candidate before missing three games this past season with a right foot injury, but still managed to run for 1,197 yards. He's projected to be one of the first running backs selected in the draft.....

Wisconsin junior running back P.J. Hill will enter the NFL draft. He finished the season with 1,161 yards and 13 touchdowns. ...

Texas Christian Coach Gary Patterson has agreed to a new contract that runs through the 2014 season.

LeSean McCoy RB Pittsburgh is expected to make a decision this week. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft is Thursday.

Texas junior OLB Sergio Kindle has reportedly told members of the Longhorn's coaching staff that he will not turn pro and will return to school for his senior season. Kindle, who had 10 sacks in 2009, is one of the better outside pass-rushing LBs in college football.

Washington director of player development John Jefferson was among more than 20 people laid off by the team this week as the economic downtown took its toll on one of the NFL's most valuable franchises. The Redskins also released salary cap analyst Jimmy Halsell. Jefferson, a former star receiver for both San Diego and Green Bay, had been with the team for nine years, working with players on off-the-field matters during the transitions in and out of their NFL careers. Jefferson and Halsell, though, were the only people directly involved in football operations to lose their jobs....

Missouri red shirt sophomore WR Jeremy Maclin has announced that he will be entering the 2009 draft. Maclin, who is projected to be the second receiver taken at the upcoming draft after fellow sophomore Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech, could go as high as the top 10 at this April’s draft....

BYU junior WR Austin Collie has announced that he will skip his senior year and enter the upcoming draft. Collie had a breakout season in 2008 when he caught 106 passes for 1,538 yards and 15 scores. Collie is 6-1. 205 with 4.55 speed.....

Virginia junior WR Kevin Ogletree has announce that he will be entering the 2009 draft. The 6-0, 190-pound Ogletree, who reportedly runs in the 4.5 range over 40 yards, had 58 receptions in 2008 after sitting out the previous season because of a torn ACL....

Alabama junior RB Glen Coffee has announced he will will skip his senior season to enter the 2009 draft after a breakout season with the Crimson Tide in which he ran for almost 1,400 yards. Coffee becomes the second Alabama underclassmen to leave the program this month as star junior OT also has announced he will be entering this year‘s draft. However, while Smith is considered to be a lottery type pick, Coffee is more a mid-round prospect. West Virginia junior OG Greg Isdaner has also announced he will be entering this April's draft. and skip his senior season. Meanwhile, the father of Texas Tech red shirt sophomore Michael Crabtree has indicated that he will also be entering this year’s draft. Crabtree, who appears to be a lock to be a top 5-10 pick this coming April, reportedly has a news conference scheduled for Tuesday at which time he will formally announce his decision.....

Pittsburgh red shirt freshman RB LeSean McCoy, who had been expected to announce that he is declaring himself eligible for the 2009 draft on Friday afternoon, has reportedly decided to delay his decision after meeting this afternoon with Panthers’ coach Dave Wannstedt. McCoy had stated publicly back in October that he would be returning to school next fall, but recently had indicated that he had changed his mind and was likely headed for the draft.

Two more juniors to the list of early entrants to the NFL draft as Florida State DE Everette Brown and Maryland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey have both announced they will forego their final year of college eligibility and enter the 2009 draft......

Georgia junior QB Matthew Stafford and red shirt sophomore RB Knowshon Moreno have announced they will be entering the upcoming draft. Stafford is projected to be a top 5-10 pick this coming April, while Moreno isn't likely to last much beyond the 20th pick overall. One of the interesting subplots to the story is that one of the people Stafford has consulted with through the process is Kansas City scout Mike Hagen, who is a friend of the family. The Chiefs have the third pick in this year‘s draft and could have more than a passing interest in addressing their QB situation at this year‘s draft.....

Bengals, Jags staffs to coach Senior Bowl… Coaching staffs from Cincinnati and Jacksonville will coach the two teams at the Senior Bowl later this month. The Senior Bowl coaches traditionally have represented the two teams with the highest picks with a stable coaching situation. Cincinnati has the 6th pick at the 2009 draft, while Jacksonville will select 8th.....

South Carolina junior TE Jared Cook has announced that he will forego his final year of eligibility and enter the April draft. The 6-5, 240-pound Cook reportedly was rated as a potential second round pick by the NFL’s special draft advisory committee. Cook, though, has reportedly run under 4.40 seconds in the 40 while at South Carolina and if he can get anywhere near that at next month’s his stock could soar. Meanwhile, Rice sophomore TE James Casey, who once played seven positions in the same game, announced earlier this week that he’ll be entering the 2009 draft. The 6-4, 235-pound Casey, who played four years of minor league baseball before enrolling at Rice and is already 24, caught 111 passes for over 1,300 yards in 2008 and could get a look at the next level as a TE, H-back and even sometime WR.....

North Carolina junior Hakeem Nicks 6-0. 210 has announced he will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft. Nicks set UNC single-season records in 2008 with over 1,200 receiving yards and 12 Tds. He is proceeded by Southern Mississippi junior LB Gerald McRath has also said that he will be entering the upcoming NFL draft.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Alabama junior OT Andre Smith has made it official that he will be leaving school early to enter the NFL draft. Smith was suspended for the Crimson Tide's Sugar Bowl loss to Utah amid allegations that he or someone on his behalf had improper dealings with an agent. The 340-pound Smith is expected to be one of the top players taken at the upcoming draft.

Rutgers wide receiver Kenny Britt has announced that he will forgo his senior season and declare himself eligible for the 2009 draft. The 6-2, 205-pound Britt had 87 receptions for almost 1,400 yards this past fall.

Iowa All-American junior RB Shonn Greene who announced that he will be entering the 2009 draft. Other juniors indicated their they will be skipping their senior seasons to enter the NFL draft include Kansas State QB Josh Freeman, LSU Ricky Jean-Francois and CB Captain Munnerlyn and DE/LB Eric Norwood of South Carolina. Underclassmen have until January 15th to apply to the NFL for admission to the upcoming draft.

Vanderbilt junior CB D.J. Moore announced that he has decided to forgo his final year at Vanderbilt and make himself eligible for the 2009 NFL Draft. The 5-10, 182-pound Moore could ultimately go as high as the late first or early second round this year.

Missouri All-American TE Chase Coffman will undergo surgery next week on his injured left foot. Doctors will install a screw Tuesday into the fifth metatarsal bone to help the injury heal; Coffman hurt his foot on the final play of overtime in the Tigers' 30-23 Alamo Bowl victory over Northwestern earlier this week. Coffman is expected to be well enough to participate in the NFL combine in February and Missouri's pro days in March.

Virginia Tech junior FS Kam Chancellor announced after the Hokies’ 20-7 win over Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl earlier this week that he will not be entering the 2009 draft. The 6-2, 224-pound Chancellor, who likely projects to SS or even LB at the next level, had a strong bowl game in which he had an interception, bu otherwise had an inconsistent campaign this fall. Underclassmen have until January 15th to apply to the NFL for early entry to the upcoming draft.

Arizona junior OT Eben Britton has announced he will be forgoing his senior season and entering the upcoming NFL draft. Britton is projected to be a possible late first or early second round pick at the 2009 draft.

Uconn junior RB Donald Brown has changed course and has announced that he will in fact be entering the 2009 NFL draft. Brown had said back in December that he would be returning for his senior season, however, changed his mind after rushing for a career-best 261 yards in yesterday’s win over Buffalo in the International Bowl. In the process, Brown became just the 14th player in major college history to run for 2,000 yards in a season.

Friday, January 02, 2009

A federal commission is pushing for an increase in the national gas tax. The commission that oversees money spent on transportation projects is suggesting another 10 cents a gallon for gas, and 12-to-15 cents for diesel. Americans are driving less and as a result buying less gasoline, making it harder to fund road, bridge and transit programs.